Cruise ships can handle many medical emergencies, but they don’t have full hospitals. So when something on board that the cruise line cannot handle occurs, it has a few options. 

Sometimes, the cruise ship can change course and head to a port that was unplanned.

Related: Royal Caribbean bans this popular family-friendly item

It’s not completely uncommon to go to bed expecting to wake up in the Caribbean and finding yourself in Miami, Port Canaveral or Fort Lauderdale. Less common is a medical diversion to a Caribbean destination, but it does happen.

Sometimes, however, medical expediency requires faster intervention. When it’s a life-or-death issue, the U.S. Coast Guard mght get involved in a medical evacuation.

This can create an incredibly dramatic situation depending on the ship. Some ships have helipads and can accommodate a helicopter. In other cases, the person being rescued is raised into the helicopter without it actually landing.

Royal Caribbean had an exceptionally busy week when it came to medical evacuations, and Doug Parker of Cruise News Today had all the details.   

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Multiple Royal Caribbean ships need rescues

Transcript:

This is Cruise News Today with Doug Parker. 

Good morning. Here’s your Cruise News for Monday, December 16. 

It was a busy weekend for medical evacuations on cruise ships.

The U.S. Coast Guard conducted two different rescues from Royal Caribbean ships over the weekend. [First,] a 56-year-old man aboard Grandeur of the Seas was airlifted 40 miles southeast of Miami. 

And on Florida’s West Coast, the Coast Guard rescued a young girl with an undiagnosed health issue from Radiance of the Seas. She was transported to the hospital with her parents. 

And over on the Gulf Coast an elderly woman in Cozumel was medevaced with symptoms of a stroke or aneurysm, causing Harmony of the Seas to return to Galveston eight hours late on Sunday. 

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Norovirus outbreak on Holland America; Crew days off

[The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] has confirmed the ninth norovirus outbreak of 2024 for the cruise industry.

Holland America Line’s Zyderdam reported 74 passengers and four crew members [fell] ill during a 10-night cruise, which ended Saturday at Port Everglades. The cruise line did implement enhanced sanitation protocols and delayed boarding for the next voyage. The CDC has tracked 12 cruise illness outbreaks this year, with norovirus confirmed in nine of those cases.

Holland America says most of the cases on Zyderdam were mild and quickly resolved. 

[A] crew member is urging cruise lines to adopt a new policy, granting crew members a full day off each month. Rennell Banda, founder of Life on Cruise Ships and a 15-year crew member, made the proposal after hearing widespread concerns from thousands of fellow crew members on his Facebook page.

ALSO READ: Top travel agents share how to get the best price on your cruise

Banda says a monthly day off would help crew recharge, boost productivity and enhance the overall guest experience. In a video message, he called to cruise industry executives and CEOs to lead by example. 

Currently, most crew members only receive a few hours off at a time and still work seven days a week for up to nine months.

If you have a lead on a story, let us know at tips@cruiseradio.net. Have yourself a great Monday. I’m Doug Parker with Cruise News Today.

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